Eric Turner brings Sunset Sail Salem to Pickering Wharf

Skipper Eric Turner steered his boat, Wenonah, in Salem Sound on a “gorgeous day for sailing” mid-morning Thursday, July 6 .

The 28-year-old arrived in the city of peace a month ago – and is living in his sloop, docked to Pickering Wharf - where he also runs and started his own company, Sunset Sail Salem, about a month ago. He sailed here for 10 weeks up the East coast– with friends who know their way around boats joining him for legs along the trip. A New Haven, Conn. native, Turner’s dad joined him for the last two days of the trip.

“Our mission statement – which I’m still working out,” said Turner, as he tinkered about his vessel Thursday, “is offering people a moment to step back…step back and appreciate, enjoy things from a different point of view.”

That “point of view” is Salem Sound and those “things:” include Winter Island, Marblehead’s beautiful Salem Harbor-facing coastline, the Derby Wharf, Children’s Island, Beverly Harbor among other points.

“I love showing off the other side of Salem besides the witch stuff,” said Turner, adding he sees his business as helping revitalize interest in Salem Sound.

Many see the sound as an underutilized resource, he said.

Turner says he fell in love with the North Shore coastline and its many harbors when he attended Gordon College, from which he graduated in 2012 with a degree in psychology.

“They told me I could do anything with my degree,” he said, “so here I am.”

His vessel, Wenonah, (a Native American name meaning “first-born daughter”) is 30 feet in length with a 47-foot-tall mast. His boat claims enough seating for six passengers, excluding him and a crew member, as designated by the United States Coast Guard.

Turner’s website describes his friendship sloop as now “an old boat in a new place.” He purchased it from Galveston, Texas outside Houston and sailed to Key West, Fla. about three years ago – where he spent three seasons in the same type of business he’s trying to get off the ground in Salem.

Turner brings six years’ worth of sailing experience to capitalize on what he described as a unique, unfilled niche in the local tourism market: He says he’s the only full-time skipper offering private charters for day sails or sunset cruises in Salem Sound.

"I've been working on boats since I was 22 years old," said Turner. "A lot goes into running a boat - mechanical engineering, chemistry and physics."

During his charters, passengers can get glimpses of “scenic islands and plenty of wildlife as the water laps against the hull and wind fills the sails,” according to Sunset Sail Salem’s website.

“All they got to do is show up,” said Turner, who supplies soft drinks and water. “They can bring a six-pack, Champagne and/or wine."

Turner hopes his enterprise grows. He’s committed to stay in Salem for three seasons to "see how things work out." He wants to make Salem his home, he says.

“I’ll be here through Halloween this year,” said Turner. “I’ll head back to Florida over the winter.”